Chastity and Virginal Life
The virtue of chastity, especially virginal purity, as a mark of those divinely called to the priesthood and episcopate. Cyprian describes Cornelius's character as marked by "the modesty of his virginal conscience"; Basil taught monks to "make a chaste and pure life almost desirable to all."
Preliminaries
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Cyprian describes Cornelius's character as marked by "the modesty of his virginal conscience."
"out of the modesty of his virginal conscience"
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TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI.
— Basil defended monks who "have renounced the world" and taught the people to "make a chaste and pure life almost desirable to all."
"to make a chaste and pure life almost desirable to all"
Preface and Praise of Sacred Scripture
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Chapter V: On the Dispositions Required for This Study
— Purity of mind is the third disposition for Scripture study: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!" Conversely, "into a malevolent soul wisdom will not enter."
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!" If God, then why not also the words of God?"
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Chapter V: On the Dispositions Required for This Study
— Gregory Nazianzen saw in a dream two women, Wisdom and Chastity, saying they had been sent by the Lord because he prepared a clean dwelling in his heart.
"one of us is called Wisdom, the other Chastity; and we have been sent by the Lord to dwell with you, because you have prepared a pleasant and clean dwelling for us in your heart"
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Chapter V: On the Dispositions Required for This Study
— St. Thomas Aquinas was consecrated by purity; at death he said he asked that no carnal or temporal attachment should infect his mind's purity.
"whatever I asked from the Lord, I obtained: first, that no attachment to carnal or temporal things should infect the purity of my mind, or soften its fortitude"
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Chapter V: On the Dispositions Required for This Study
— St. Francis, unlettered but of most pure mind, responded so aptly to the most profound difficulties of Scripture that he surpassed theological doctors.
"St. Francis, unlettered though he was, yet of a most pure mind, when asked from time to time by Cardinals and others about the most profound difficulties of sacred Scripture and Theology, responded so aptly and sublimely"
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Chapter I: On the Excellence, Necessity, and Fruit of Sacred Scripture
— Reading Paul converted Augustine from daily lust to religious celibate chastity.
"having dragged him from the most foul abyss of daily lust, to drive and advance him to continence and chastity — not merely marital, I say, but religious, entirely celibate and untouched"